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Near miss for Israeli defence minister in rocket attack
JERUSALEM - Israel carried out a fresh air strike and threatened more ground operations in the Gaza Strip Wednesday in a bid to halt Palestinian rockets, as a missile narrowly missed the defence ministers home. The hardline Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility for firing three missiles at daybreak towards the southern Israeli town of Sderot, which lies just over the border from the Gaza Strip. Although no one was injured in the attacks, one of the makeshift Qassam rockets struck a residential building a few dozen meters (yards) from Peretzs own home, causing extensive damage.The army has been pounding northern Gaza with artillery and has carried out a series of air raids in recent weeks in order to put a permanent end to the firing of the notoriously inaccurate missiles. Several missiles were fired in the latest air strike on Wednesday over a disused training base for another militant group, the Popular Resistance Committees, although there were no reports of casualties in an area to the south of Gaza City. On Tuesday, the army confirmed for the first time since it left Gaza last September after a 38-year occupation that ground troops had been sent into the territory. Four Palestinians, including three members of Jihad, were killed when they were ambushed by the undercover unit as they prepared to launch rockets towards the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Army chiefs have previously expressed reservations about re-entering Gaza but the continuing rocket attacks have led to a hardening of attitudes in the defence establishment. Speaking on a tour of his home town after the missile attacks, Peretz said he was determined to bring the militant groups to heel as he described how he was awakened by the sound of the towns early warning alarm system. The sirens went off 10 minutes before I woke up, followed by the sound of a large explosion, said Peretz. We will find the ways and means to make it impossible for these organisations to fire towards Sderot and other communities. I very much hope that the (Palestinian) population understands that these organisations are provoking a catastrophe for them.
IDF operations have reduced the level of attacks, he said while accompanying Peretz on the tour of Sderot. We have seen in the last few days the targeting (of militants) from the air and contacts on the ground. I can assure you that all these kinds of operations will continue. A report in Tuesdays Haaretz daily, which quoted senior officers, said more ground operations involving special forces would be carried out to stop the rocket attacks. The officers said the effectiveness of such operations had been proven and that international reaction to the return of troops on the ground in Gaza had been fairly understanding. Haaretz said small units of special forces had been operating in Gaza for the past two months but the army only decided to go public with Tuesdays operation as the death of the four Jihad militants made it impossible to hide. For his part, chief of staff Dan Halutz said the campaign against the militants behind the rocket attacks would intensify. We are going to find ways to hit even harder against those who fire rockets, General Halutz told army radio. Posted by: Steve 2006-05-31 |
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